Improvement in fire-escapes



W. KEGG.` Fire-Escapes. N0.138,410, PatemedApm29,1873.

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@g www@ Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KEGG, 0E LAsELLsvILLE, :NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ESCAPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,410, dated April29, 1873; application filled September 24, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM KEGG, of Lasellsville, in the county ofFulton and in the State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Fire-Escape g and do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of referencemarked thereon making part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a iireescape, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which myinventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation referring tothe annexed drawing, in which-Figure 1 is an interior view of my lire-escape, and Fig. 2 is anenlarged view of the wheel or pulley used in the same.

A A represent the two parts of a bisected box or casing, Within which isplaced the entire mechanism of my ireescape. In the center of this boxor casing is placed a wheel or pulley, B, having a deep V-shapedcircumferential groove, a, as shown in Fig. 2, in which groove is placeda rope, C, the ends of which come close together and pass throughseparate grooves in a bar, E, extending from the casing and forming partof the same. On each side of the pulley B is placed a brake, D,consisting simply of a curved spring-bar, the lower end of which is bentoutward and inserted in a groove in the casing. The upper end of one ofthe brakes is bent upward and laps over the other, both extreme endsbeing bent or turned so as to form bearings for the two points b b ofthe lever H. This lever is constructed substantially as shown in thedrawing, and has a cord, d, attached to its outer end. This end is alsoinclosed within the casing, and the cord cl passes out through a groovein the casing. To the outer side near the lower end of one of the brakesD is riveted or otherwise firmly attached a bar, I, and spring J whichfollow along or lie on the outer side of the brake. Near the upper endof the bar I are two inward-projecting lugs, e e, which pass throughnotches on each side of the brake and into notches i t' on the pulley B.The extreme upper end of the bar I rests upon an arm, f, projecting fromthe lever H.

This re-escape is intended to be used in case of fire to alight from awindow by being seated in a loop formed at one end of the rope C, theentire device being suspended by a rope, K, in any suitable manner, andtaking hold of the cord d and pulling slightly upon it, which willunlock the pulley and allow the rope to run down, at the same timeapplying the brakes to prevent it from running down too fast. This maybe regulated by' the descending party, or anyperson holding the cord, bypulling on the cord, as the case may require. As one end of the ropegoes down the other end goes up and is ready to be used alternately, asthe device operates either way the same. In case the cord d should slipout of the hand the device will at once lock itself until the cord canagain be grasped and pulled to unlock and apply the brakes.

It will be noticed that the lever H has a double fulcrum on the brakes,so that all the draft on the cord is direct on the brakes and none ofthe draft is lost except what is required to raise the spring to thelock. The large rope C running in the V-groove of the pulley isprevented from slipping by being drawn into the same and wrapped nearlyaround the pulley passing under the brakes and being relieved from thepulley at nearly the same point it enters, and the greater the weightthe more firmly the rope is drawn into the V-groove. By having nocenter-point for the pulley less force is required to brake the same.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure b y Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hre-escape the arrangement of a pulley, B, with no center-pointand a rope, C, Wrapped nearly around the same in a V-shapedcircumferential groove and passing under suitable brakes, substantiallyas and for the purposes herein set forth. f

2. The locking device for the pulley B, consisting of the bar I withlugs e e pressed by the spring J into notches i on the pulley,substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The lever H provided with double fuleruxns b I; and arm 7" forsimultaneously oper- In testimony that I claim the foregoingl ating thelocking device and the brakes of a have hereunto set my hand and sealthis 31st lire-escape, substantially as herein set forth. day of August,1872.

4. The combination of the easingA A', pul- WM. KEGG. [L. S.] ley B, ropeC, brakes D D, lever H With cord (l, and lookin g devices I J, allconstructed and Witnesses: arranged. to operate ,substantially as andfor v C. L. EVERT, the purposes herein set forth. MARVIN BRONK.

